TVETs hold the key to Kenya’s transition to green economy – Business Daily
Polytechnic principals and their deputies from Kirinyaga County during training in Sagana on February 15, 2021. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates there will be 24 million green jobs worldwide by 2030. ILO defines green jobs as decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Such jobs help to improve energy and raw materials efficiency; limit greenhouse gas emissions; minimise waste and pollution; protect and restore ecosystems; and support adaptation to the effects of climate change.
In Kenya, the government aims to lead in green transformation in Eastern Africa across various sectors including transport, smart agriculture and renewable energy exploration.
Today, many companies in Kenya are playing a vital role in embracing green technologies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, with corporate leaders playing an integral role in engaging on sustainable issues impacting their corporate bottom lines.
UNESCO and UNEVOC have identified TVET programmes as critical in addressing the knowledge and skills challenges present to achieve the sustainable development goals and push forward a green economy.
UNESCO-UNEVOC support TVET institutions in the development and implementation of green strategies to transform their learning and training environments to fulfil their role in skilling learners, upskilling professionals, and re-skilling those affected by job losses due to the transition into a green economy.
Kenya is among the countries that are geared towards “Education for All”, a process that will lead to vastly increased numbers of young people completing primary and secondary education and transitioning to higher learning institutions in the coming years.
In line with this, TVET colleges are becoming more popular in the country as fundamental to the world of work. TVET has proved to be the major connecting link between the school system and the employment market.
The role of TVET as an effective means of empowering society to engage in productive and sustainable livelihoods through equipping the youth with hand on skills is clearly outstanding. For most young learners, finding a job is the anticipated outcome of their education and it is through their work that people achieve self-fulfilment.
TVET fields hold the key to Kenya’s green economy across sectors. This includes fields of engineering, building and construction, and information technology that will be the source of green jobs like clean product design, energy efficient automation, biofuel engineering, industrial ecology, environmental economics and many more.
Green action plans are necessary for TVET institutions to maximise their impact in developing the right policies and strategies needed for the transition into a green economy.
